Jessica Lynn

FROM A YOUNG AGE, MY IMAGINATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN EAGER TO TRAVEL OUTSIDE THE BOUNDS OF THE ORDINARY. JOURNEYING ALL THE WAY TO IMAGINARY REALMS OF SPELLBINDING FANTASY, TO GRITTY HISTORICAL BACKDROPS OF COWBOYS TOTING GUNS TRAVELING ON HORSEBACK, AND  BEYOND-- TO DESTINATIONS HUNDREDS OF LIGHTYEARS AWAY, DWELLING IN THE STYLIZED AND BRIGHT FUTURISM ONLY FOUND PAINTED AMIDST THE STARS;

I KNEW FROM THE START THAT I WANTED TO MAKE THOSE IMAGES COME TO REAL, TANGIBLE LIFE.

AS A YOUNG ARTIST, I KNEW FROM VERY EARLY ON THAT MY FIRST CANVAS WAS ONLY EVER GOING TO BE MYSELF. I BEGAN CUTTING MY OWN HAIR AND DYING IT IN AN ARRAY OF COLORS TO ACHIEVE WHATEVER CREATIVE VISION I HAD NAGGING ME AT THE TIME. SURE, IT GARNERED CURIOUS LOOKS FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS, BUT ALSO THE OCCASIONAL STRANGER. THE FEEDBACK, NONETHELESS, WAS PRIMARILY POSITIVE AND AFTER HEARING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN-- I FIGURED I HAD A KNACK FOR THIS KIND OF THING.

SO, I ABANDONED COLLEGE. AFTERALL, AN ART HISTORY MAJOR PAIRED WITH A MINOR IN MYTHOLOGY WAS ONLY EVER GOING TO SHACKLE ME EITHER TO A MUSEUM, A CLASSROOM, OR A LIBRARY, AND TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST, I KNEW THAT WASN'T QUITE THE DREAM I WANTED TO LIVE.

I ENROLLED IN COSMETOLOGY SCHOOL AT THE COSMETOLOGY AND SPA ACADEMY IN CRYSTAL LAKE, IL AND QUICKLY BEGAN BUILDING A SOLID FOUNDATION AND A DIVERSE SKILLSET; COLOR THEORY, HYGIENE, CHEMICAL PROCESSING, THERMAL AND WET STYLING, ESTHETICIAN SERVICES, AND THE FOUNDATIONS OF MAKEUP APPLICATION. I WORKED HARD, OFTEN STAYING LATE AND ARRIVING EARLY TO ATTEND HYPER FOCUSED INDUSTRY COURSES THAT DOVE DEEP INTO THE SPECIFICITIES OF KEY SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES. I RECEIVED A VARIETY OF CERTIFICATIONS FROM ATTENDING THESE SPECIFIC COURSES; HAIR EXTENSION INSTALLATION, CHEMICAL BASED COLOR CORRECTION, WEDDING AND THEATER MAKEUP APPLICATION, PROSTHETIC APPLIANCES, AND TRANSFORMATIVE SPECIAL EFFECTS.

I GRADUATED IN 2008 AND LEAPT DIRECTLY INTO THE SALON.

HOWEVER, IT WAS AN UNFORTUNATE AND HIGHLY SOBERING EXPERIENCE, ALBEIT A NECESSARY LESSON IN COMMUNICATION AND ACTIVE LISTENING-- NOT ONLY TO MY QUICKLY GROWING ROSTER OF REPEAT CLIENTELE, BUT TO ALSO OF THOSE WHO WERE CONSISTENTLY WORKING AROUND ME. IT QUICKLY BECAME APPARENT TO ME THAT I DIDN'T EXACTLY POSSESS THE SAME ETHOS I WAS SURROUNDED BY.

MY DAY-TO-DAY WAS DRIVEN BY A PASSION FOR POSITIVITY; MAKING CLIENTS FEEL AND LOOK THEIR BEST WAS ALWAYS THE ULTIMATE GOAL, AND IF I COULD LIFT THOSE UP AROUND ME BY SHARING KNOWLEDGE AND INSPIRING THEM WITH THE WORK THAT I DID- I KNEW THAT I WAS MAKING THE IMPACT IN THE WORLD THAT I WANTED TO.

EVEN TODAY, OVER A DECADE LATER, I STILL FEEL THAT WAY AND MOST DEFINITELY STIL WORK THAT WAY.

EVENTUALLY, I FOUND THE POSITIVITY, COMRADERY, AND SKILL ADVANCEMENT I SOUGHT AFTER IN M•A•C. THE APPLICATION AND ACCEPTANCE PROCESS WAS LABORIOUS AND EXTENSIVE. SEVERAL ROUNDS OF INTERVIEWS OCCURRED; BOTH CENTERED AROUND MY PERSONALITY AND AMBITION, AS WELL AS TESTING THE APPLICATION OF MY TECHNICAL ABILITY AND INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE.

I BEGAN WORKING AND THRIVING, FINALLY. I ESTABLISHED MYSELF AT ONE OF THEIR LOCATIONS IN AURORA, IL FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND THEN ULTIMATELY BEGAN GROWING MYSELF AS A FREELANCE ARTIST AT MULTIPLE LOCATIONS AND INDUSTRY EVENTS BASED IN THE CHICAGOLAND AREA- AND THEN...

I EVENTUALLY FOUND MY WAY ONTO A FILM SET.

I BECAME ADDICTED, WORKING WHATEVER SMALL OR LARGE SCALE PROJECT I COULD FIND AND GET HIRED FOR. EACH JOB BROUGHT THE EXPERIENCE THAT FURTHER SOLIDIFIED MY MINDSET; ANY OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH FELLOW CREATIVES AND AIDING IN THE PURSUIT OF COMMUNICATING THEIR IDEAS VIA TALENT ON FILM OR IN PRINT WAS EXACTLY WHERE I WAS MEANT TO BE.

CURRENTLY, I'M PUSHING MY ABILITIES TO NEW LIMITS, CREATING CONTENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA BASED ON THE CREATIVITY THAT HAS FUELED ME FROM THE VERY START. I'M PASSIONATE ABOUT CREATING CHARACTERS, TRANSFORMING THE MUNDANE INTO THE FANTASTIC, AND HONING MY ABILITIES TO REACH MAXIMUM PRECISION.